This is an analysis of the poem Sappho that begins with:

She lay among the myrtles on the cliff;
Above her glared the noon; beneath, the sea.... full text

Elements of the verse: questions and answers

The information we provided is prepared by means of a special computer program. Use the criteria sheet to understand greatest poems or improve your poetry analysis essay.

  • Rhyme scheme: AbcdeXfgXhhiAebhchijeidhhejfiggfgffX XXh
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 36,3,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rima
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: blank verse
  • Metre: 1101010101 0101010101 0101010101 10001011101 01010101001 0111110101 0101110001 0101111101 01011100101 1101111101 1101111111 11010010101 1101010101 1111111111 1101011111 0101010101 1101110101 011111001001 0100010001 1100110101 1101100101 1101011101 0111010111 1111011101 1101011101 1101110111 1111010101 0111010101 0101011101 11011000101 1101011111 1110010101 1111001100 11010100101 10010101001 0101010111 1001 01
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 541
  • Average number of words per stanza: 99
  • Amount of lines: 39
  • Average number of symbols per line: 41 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 8
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; and, for, her, thine are repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same words the, and are repeated.

If you write a school or university poetry essay, you should Include in your explanation of the poem:

  • summary of Sappho;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Charles Kingsley